Use of Density-based Cluster Analysis and Classification Techniques for Traffic Congestion Prediction and Visualization

The field of Intelligent Transportation Systems has lately raised increasing interest due to it high socio-economic impact. This work aims on developing efficient techniques for traffic congestion prediction and visualisation. We have designed a simple, yet effective and scalable model to handle sparse data from GPS observations and reduce the problem of congestion prediction to a binary classification problem (jam, non-jam). An attempt to generalise the problem is performed by exploring the impact of discriminative versus generative classifiers when employed to produce results in a 30-minute interval ahead of present time. In addition, we present a novel congestion prediction algorithm based on using correlation metrics to improve feature selection. Concerning the visualisation of traffic jams, we present a traffic jam visualisation approach based on cluster analysis that identifies dense congestion areas.